Weyerhaeuser Company Logging Operations

[DonnyBoy553]

Here are some pictures of my Grandfather and his shovels. He ran shovel for Weyco out of Cosmopolis for nearly 30 years. The first is shovel 555, it was a link belt that had a log snorkel. I remember being with him while the lowboy was hauling it out of the woods, and right behind this lowboy was a second truck with the snorkel and counter weight. I also remember the lowboy drivers CB name...Banjo if anyone on here knows him.

When I was a kid, probably 1990-ish the link belt caught on fire and the suppression system it failed, the burned out hulk sat in the cosi yard for some time. They replaced it with this Thunderbird, shovel 553. I recall that it had drums on it, I cant remember what model number it was though.

 

[Vigilant]

Welcome aboard, friend! Glad to see this thread come back to life. if your grandfather is still alive, please ask him if he remembers my late father, Charlie Pike. dad spent about 15 years with Weyco Cosi. He transferred to Vail as Supe after Carl Weiks retired there.

Would love to see some more photos from Cosi. or Cosmopolis, for those not from the area.

 

[Vigilant]

Check out this group on Facebook. it is about Weyco history in Southwest Washington.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/706343106123504/

In case you are not aware, there are some fine gents here who do not share our fond memories of 'The Company', and rightfully so. Weyco turned a bit ugly in later years, and they had a negative impact on a lot of people up North. Might be interesting to read the MacMillan Bloedel thread here.

 

[Hallback]

Banjo is still alive, he still lives in the Harbor.

 

[DonnyBoy553]

Welcome aboard, friend! Glad to see this thread come back to life. if your grandfather is still alive, please ask him if he remembers my late father, Charlie Pike. dad spent about 15 years with Weyco Cosi. He transferred to Vail as Supe after Carl Weiks retired there.

Would love to see some more photos from Cosi. or Cosmopolis, for those not from the area.

Yes sir, my grandpa is still very much alive, just saw him yesterday! I will certainly ask him about your father. I was just looking through his logging photo albums while I was there, if I had discovered this thread before today I would have snagged some more pictures.

Hallback, I knew Banjo was still doing well...I saw him in this year at my great grandmothers funeral service in Montesano, honestly just couldnt remember his given name, it was always Banjo. Is it John?

 

[Vigilant]

Ask him if he remembers the greatest Shop Foreman of all times: Mr. Red Moore, Cosi's Shop Foreman back in the day.

 

[DonnyBoy553]

 

[DonnyBoy553]

 

[Chopper95]

So 10 years later .… did anybody ever make the hike in to see that GT5 at Castle Lake?

Wonder how it looks in 2020.

 

[Hallback]

I have not been in there since the early 90s.

 

[cubanator]

DonnyBoy553, another local fellow... You still lurking around the forum? Thanks for the pics!

 

[Tinkerer]

DonnyBoy553, another local fellow... You still lurking around the forum? Thanks for the pics!

Send him a message in a private conversation and HEF will email him a notice that you started the conversation.

 

[MotoMatt]

I've been working in Longview for several weeks, went up to Coldwater Ridge last weekend. I'd like to check out the logs and equipment at Castle Lake but from what I can tell you need a $325 permit from Weyerhaeuser to drive back on those logging roads. Permits are sold out as well.

 

[Hallback]

You do not need to buy a permit to go up high to Castle Lake as that is state and federal ground up there and they cannot bar you from access.

 

[MotoMatt]

You do not need to buy a permit to go up high to Castle Lake as that is state and federal ground up there and they cannot bar you from access.

Good to know, I took a drive out there after work and turned back about 6 miles from the border of the national mounument/forest. I was on road 4250 I believe, does it run all the way to Castle Peak?. I’ve read about Road 3000 being gated off and it being 3 more miles to the south end of the lake?

 

[MotoMatt]

Did some more digging and found out road 3000 runs out around the bottom of the lake about where the red line is. My big question is to which red circle am I headed?

 

[Chopper95]

Lower circle is where you want to be.
Now is the time to find it with the foliage dropped.

 

[MotoMatt]

Well I hiked this today and didn’t see a thing other than some elk and a couple 6+ foot diameter logs

 

[Rusty Grapple]

The Skagit GT-5C yarder and Cat D8 are at the upper end of the lake in the canyon, directly under the 3000 road. We always parked up on the 3000 and hiked straight down into it. The end of the yarder boom is very near the water now, and the Cat D8 is up on the hill above the yarder, about 700 feet in front of it (The cat is in the white box in the first pic here). There is also a fire truck in the area but its a ways from the yarder and would likely be difficult to find now with all the vegetation. The first pics were taken in 1980. I have also attached a map with arrow pointing at the machine location.

 

[Rusty Grapple]

These are some pics taken in 2020 by a friend who hikes in there somewhat regularly with the kids. As you can see, the whole area is growing up in alder trees and the equipment is not as easy to spot as it was 20 years ago. The old iron is still there, just rusting back into the earth.